Category: From the Editor
-
Trust to Markets
by Evelyn Pyburn As someone coming from farm life, I fully know the urgency farmers face during harvest or planting season. Even 15 minutes of “daylight” is vital. Waiting days for some techy to arrive to fix a broken-down piece of equipment is simply not an option. Waiting even two or three days could mean…
-
Dead Rats
By Evelyn Pyburn Billings representative, Katie Zolnikov has introduced House Bill 337, which would prohibit local governments from requiring minimum residential lot sizes. Zolnikov’s aim is to open the door to the development of more affordable housing. Such legislation would be unnecessary if private property rights were adhered to by a power-crazed bureaucracy. The fact…
-
Who would do this?
By Evelyn Pyburn Having goals has long been understood as essential to achieve great things. There’s no doubt that goals work! It hardly matters what the goal is or even if it is explicitly identified. That is why almost every organization establishes a mission statement. One has to wonder, then, about the lure of investing…
-
Upholding that oath…
By Evelyn Pyburn Some many years ago, a school board in the area had been meeting, since forever, in closed sessions with no media ever covering them. The first time a reporter showed up they were shocked – shocked that what they did, said and decided was something the public should know about. It took…
-
Why Penalize Investors?
By Evelyn Pyburn One of the first experiences of having launched a new business, 40 years ago, was a requirement to annually fill out a form for the county tax collector, listing all the equipment and furniture that was part of our business. The purpose was to pay “personal property taxes,” now commonly called “business…
-
He who controls the information, controls.
by Evelyn Pyburn I can remember thinking, as a student, learning about the issue of public information and thinking that so obvious is its benefit, that in no way would any reasonable person ever oppose it. But then, that was a time when I also believed that most adults were reasonable. It was a time…
-
News Blackout Ignores Freedom Convoy Still in DC
By Evelyn Pyburn “It’s such a great expression of freedom,” said Sen. Steve Daines about the Freedom Convoy that remains in Washington DC in protest of government mandates. Sen. Daines made the remarks while visiting with a Montana trucker, Dennis Davies, who drove from Helena to Washington, D.C. as part of the convoy that organized…
-
Let’s Stay with Messy & Inefficient
By Evelyn Pyburn No. No. No. In passing—while talking about engaging a private company to manage MetraPark, Commissioner Don Jones briefly pondered that maybe they should hire an administrator for county government. It was just a quick remark and how serious he was is unclear, but the idea is a very bad one. Appointing an…
-
Progressive Constitution, No Accident
By Evelyn Pyburn One thing about aging – events can become more meaningful and gain greater perspective. I find that is true regarding the Montana Constitution of 1972. I was a pretty young reporter when the whole Con-Con event unfolded. I interviewed those who ran as delegates and followed the issues as a reporter for…
-
40 Years Ago
By Evelyn Pyburn The Big Sky Business Journal is celebrating 40 years in business this year. The Big Sky Business Journal was the first stand-alone business publication in the state and it came at a time when business news was kind of a new idea. Up until then, other than the Wall Street Journal and…